Many Christians are trapped in a false choice between political ideologies that distort the Christian faith. Justin Giboney, political strategist, attorney, and president of the AND Campaign, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss his new book Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around and the Black church’s enduring witness in the face of oppression. Drawing on his grandparents’ legacy in the civil rights movement, Giboney shares how the Black church modeled a prophetic public faith that was both bold and redemptive. Together, they explore what the culture war really is, why Christians must learn to critique both the right and the left, and how moral imagination enables better engagement in politics.

Justin Giboney on X (Twitter) - https://twitter.com/JustinEGiboney
The AND Campaign - https://www.andcampaign.org/
Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around – https://amzn.to/4qNyUMp
Greed, Racism, Violence, and Empire - Malcolm Foley – https://christianitywithoutcompromise.transistor.fm/20

Justin Giboney is an attorney, political strategist, and co-founder of the AND Campaign, a Christian civic organization dedicated to applying biblical values to social and political issues. He is the author of Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around: How the Black Church’s Public Witness Leads Us out of the Culture War. Giboney draws from his heritage and civil rights roots to reframe how Christians engage politics with conviction and compassion.

On this episode of Christianity Without Compromise, originally recorded live, Dr. Jared Stacy (theologian and author), Joash Thomas (Anglican minister and justice advocate), Larry Lin (pastor and writer), and Caleb E. Campbell (pastor and author) join host Jake Doberenz to examine the rise of Christian nationalism five years after the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack.

Jared Stacy, scholar of conspiracy theories, traces how Christian nationalism thrives by blending whiteness, national identity, and Christian symbols. Caleb Campbell shares his own church’s disorientation as members turned on him over immigration and racial justice, seeing political dissent as spiritual betrayal. Larry Lin reflects on his transformation driven by a desire to root out anti-gospel messages from the church. And Joash Thomas, former GOP operative turned public theologian, draws on his Indian Christian heritage to contrast American self-preservation with the global Church’s sacrificial advocacy for the marginalized.

Together, they confront the spiritual rot beneath Christian nationalism—and what real Gospel allegiance demands in response.

Resources Mentioned:

• Jared Stacy’s upcoming book Reality in Ruins: How Conspiracy Theory Became an American Evangelical Crisis (Coming March 2026)
• Joash Thomas’s book The Justice of Jesus
• Caleb Campbell’s book Disarming Leviathan
• The Cross and the Olive Tree: Cultivating Palestinian Theology amid Gaza edited by John S. Munayer and Samuel S. Munayer
• Faith in the Face of Empire by Mitri Raheb

Guest Bios:

• Jared Stacy is a theologian and chaplain. His forthcoming book Reality in Ruins explores how conspiracy thinking became a crisis in American evangelicalism. Check out his previous episode, “Why Do Christians Fall for Conspiracy Theories?”
• Joash P. Thomas is an Anglican minister who works in international justice and public theology. His first book is The Justice of Jesus. Check out his previous episode “Justice and Jesus in a Colonized Church.”
• Larry Lin is a pastor at Grace Life Church in Baltimore. He previously worked for One America Movement, a nonprofit organization that equips clergy to counter political and cultural polarization. Check out his previous episode “The Dangers of Christian Nationalism & Tribalism.”
• Caleb Campbell is the lead pastor of Desert Springs Bible Church in Phoenix, Arizona. His book Disarming Leviathan and podcast of the same name equips readers to engage Christian nationalists with truth and love. “Why Hate Won’t Stop Christian Nationalism.”
• Jake Doberenz is the host of Christianity Without Compromise and founder of the podcast production company Theophany Media. He’s on, well, all the episodes!

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

In this solo episode of the Christianity Without Compromise podcast, host Jake Doberenz explains why Christians need to cultivate joy—and exactly how they can do that. Using the example of the movie Elf, Jake explores how joy can change people and the world. Drawing from the work of Willie James Jennings, he defines joy as a way of life, outlines three ways to cultivate joy, and shares how choosing joy doesn’t mean you ignore reality.

Important Links:
“Theology of Joy: Willie James Jennings with Miroslav Volf”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fKD4Msh3rE
“Willie James Jennings on joy that joins”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fKD4Msh3rE
“The Code of the Elves: A Primer for Joy” by Jake Doberenz, Popular Culture, https://popularcultureandtheology.com/2020/12/07/the-code-of-the-elves-a-primer-for-joy/

Jake Doberenz is the founder of the podcast production company Theophany Media and host of Christianity Without Compromise. He holds multiple degrees in Bible and communication studies and is passionate about Christians finding Jesus outside of the Culture Wars.

For this special holiday episode, host Jake Doberenz sets aside the usual Christian ethics debates for something more festive (and chaotic): a Christmas movie trivia game show featuring returning guest Joseph Holmes, film critic and host of The Overthinkers Podcast, and first-time guest Kenny Doberenz, film and media teacher and voice actor. The three dive into obscure facts about The Santa Clause trilogy, animated Christmas Carol adaptations, Die Hard villains, and really old Christmas movies no one has seen. It's fun.

Merry Christmas, and good luck knowing when Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July actually came out.

Important Links:

• The Overthinkers Podcast — Joseph Holmes' show on faith and pop culture
• "Why Are We So Obsessed With Identity" - The Overthinkers podcast episode with Jake
• Jim vs. the Future — Joseph Holmes' sci-fi movie
• The Dead Sea Squirrels — Animated kids’ show featuring Kenny Doberenz
• "How Movies Can Shape Faith More Than Sermons" - Joseph's previous episode on the show

Joseph Holmes is a New York-based film and culture critic who writes for publications like Christianity Today, Religion Unplugged, and World Magazine. He co-hosts The Overthinkers Podcast and recently released his first feature film Jim vs. the Future.

Kenny Doberenz is a film and media teacher at Oklahoma Christian Academy, where he teaches high school and middle school students about movie production and storytelling. He has voice acting credits in The Dead Sea Squirrels, an animated show created by VeggieTales co-creator Mike Nawrocki.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

Christians are still telling people to “just pray more” in response to depression.

Trey Hayman, pastor of New City Church in Nashville, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how Christian faith and mental health need not be at odds. Drawing from both personal experience and theological training, Trey unpacks how the stigma around emotions and diagnoses developed in church spaces—and why it’s time to dismantle it. Together, Jake and Trey explore the false divide between “spiritual” and “emotional” life, the way Christian platitudes do more harm than good, and what a healthier theology of the mind could look like. Whether you’re a struggling believer or a church leader wondering how to help, this episode is for you.

Important Links:

• Trey's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/treyhayman/
• Trey's Substack - https://substack.com/@treyhayman
• Trey's Threads - https://www.threads.com/@treyhayman
• Classical Pastoral Care: Pastoral Counsel (Vol. 3) by Thomas C. Oden - https://amzn.to/3XNAv8y (affiliate)
• Classical Pastoral Care: Crisis Ministries (Vol. 4) by Thomas C. Oden - https://amzn.to/4rUSQy4 (affiliate)

Recommend Episodes:

• "Why Hate Won’t Stop Christian Nationalism - Caleb E. Campbell" - https://christianitywithoutcompromise.transistor.fm/51
• "Does God Want Me to be Happy? - Jon Adams" - https://christianitywithoutcompromise.transistor.fm/26

Trey Hayman is the pastor of New City Church, a young church plant in Nashville, Tennessee. He holds degrees in Psychology and Christian Leadership from Belmont University and a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary. His work centers on integrating emotional health, theology, and community, and he regularly shares about mental health, faith, and authenticity online.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

If Christian community can be so toxic, should we just leave it all behind?

Loren Richmond Jr., pastor, chaplain, and host of the Future Christian Podcast, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why the Christian faith still calls us to show up in community—even when church institutions fail. They talk candidly about disillusionment, spiritual exhaustion, and the cultural appeal of individualism, yet also uncover what’s lost when Christians opt out of the local church. Loren brings practical insight from both sociology and theology to show why Christian identity depends on more than podcasts and personal devotion. Together, they explore how church forms us, how it’s supposed to testify to God’s way of being in the world, and how to evaluate a church community without expecting perfection.

Important Links:

• “Jake Doberenz on working for a church that doesn’t fit your theology” Future Christian Podcast — https://futurechristian.podbean.com/e/jake-doberenz-on-working-for-a-church-that-doesn-t-fit-your-theology/
• “Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America” by Christian Smith — https://amzn.to/3KgYBFG (affiliate)
• “How the Anglican Tradition Forms a Moral Ecology” by Loren Richmond Jr. — https://lorenrichmondjr.substack.com/p/how-the-anglican-tradition-forms
• “Sustaining While Disrupting: The Challenge of Congregational Innovation” by F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Levett H. Weems Jr. — https://amzn.to/4iGWRC6 (affiliate)
• Loren’s Substack The Church Nerd - https://open.substack.com/pub/lorenrichmondjr

Recommend Episodes:

• "Can Churches Do Business Without Losing Their Soul? - Loren Richmond, Jr." - https://christianitywithoutcompromise.transistor.fm/4
• "Cultivating a Church's Culture - Spencer Shaw" - https://christianitywithoutcompromise.transistor.fm/1

Loren Richmond Jr. is a pastor, chaplain, nonprofit leader, and the host of the Future Christian Podcast. He holds an MDiv from Phillips Theological Seminary and an MBA with a nonprofit focus from Hope International University. His wide-ranging ministry background includes roles from food pantry director to founding pastor, giving him a grounded and practical perspective on the evolving role of the church in society.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

American Christianity has often baptized destroying the planet in the name of dominion, capitalism, or end-times theology. Dillon Naber Cruz, author and theologian trained in permaculture design, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why true Christian ethics require care for the earth. The conversation explores how the golden rule applies to land use, how permaculture challenges consumerism, and how churches can tangibly resist the destruction of God’s world.

Important Links:

• "Go Golden" by Dillon Naber Cruz — https://amzn.to/4rwyfA5 (affiliate)
• "Theological Musings Vol. 1" by Dillon Naber Cruz — https://amzn.to/3KjZsFu (affiliate)
• "Theological Musings Vol. 2" by Dillon Naber Cruz — https://amzn.to/4p4KuCi (affiliate)
• The Tattooed Theologian Blog — https://tattooed-theologian.com/
• God Squad Pod — https://tattooed-theologian.com/the-god-squad-podcast/

Recommended Episodes:

• Episode 20 with Dr. Malcolm Foley on Greed and Capitalism

Dillon Naber Cruz is a writer, permaculture designer, and public theologian who blogs under the name The Tattooed Theologian. He is the author of Go Golden and other theological works exploring social permaculture, ethics, and ecological justice. He co-hosts The God Squad Pod and frequently appears on SiriusXM’s Tell Me Everything.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

The Culture War claims to be Christian, yet misses everything about faith. In this solo episode, Jake Doberenz, host of Christianity Without Compromise, shares three reasons he has renounced the culture war mindset. Drawing from personal experience as a former participant, Jake explores how the culture war makes Christians worse people, replaces the gospel with ideology, and elevates fringe issues while ignoring core teachings of Jesus. This honest and incisive reflection offers a crucial critique of culture war Christianity and invites listeners into a more faithful way of following Jesus.

Important Links:

• "Why I'm Not a Creationist Anymore" episode
• "Why 'Crotch Christianity' Misses the Gospel" episode
• "The Sermon on the Mount is Serious" episode
• The King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight

Jake Doberenz is the founder of the podcast production company Theophany Media and host of Christianity Without Compromise. He holds multiple degrees in Bible and communication studies and is passionate about Christians finding Jesus outside of the Culture Wars.